


What Were We in a Past Life?

by claracaboozle



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drinking, F/M, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, i hate writing tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:07:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28098177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/claracaboozle/pseuds/claracaboozle
Summary: If @boomerangsandadora gets to write MY drunken takes into their ATLA fic, I think I should get to give myself some fluff because The World We Dream About is angsty as hell because Boom is evil (send tweet).AKA the Gaang gets tipsy/drunk and have some deep conversations about life - and their lives to come.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39
Collections: Avatar: The Last Airbender





	What Were We in a Past Life?

**Author's Note:**

> Quick side note: I know there are issues with depicting Sokka having some substance abuse issues as he is an indigenous character. I do not mean to further a harmful stereotype, I wrote this fic to channel all my drunk takes on life onto the Gaang, and I did in fact spend a regrettable number of hours drinking alone because… *gestures vaguely at the world* So I did do a bit of projection, and my projections tend to land on Sokka. This being said, please let me know if there is anything I can/should change as I am writing this fic as a white person in America.  
> I hope y’all enjoy! Also if ur gonna drink do it with friends, don’t drive, and monitor your consumption for love of the universe. :)

“Remind me why we’re getting drunk on a Sunday night?” Katara asked as she surveyed the room from her perch on the arm of the couch.

“Life,” Toph toasted, before knocking back a disturbing amount of rum and coke from her spot on the floor.

Aang plopped back down in his spot on the couch to Katara’s right, hot chocolate with just a smidge of bailey’s in his hand (well, it would’ve been a smidge if Suki wasn’t the one in charge of drinks this evening). “Ask Sokka. I am just here to spend time with my friends.”

Sokka perked up at the sound of his name, and being much further along than the rest, seeing as it was _his_ apartment and Katara had come home to find him already three shots deep, slurred out: “I am here for a good time. Nooot a long time.” Katara supposed it was a good thing her brother was already on the floor leaning against the TV stand. He was already at a self-reported five shots, which meant he had probably snuck in a Mike’s at some point as well.

“False!” chimed Suki from the kitchen, finally making her way over to steal the other half of the couch.

Toph snorted. “You think he’s here for neither a good time _or_ a long time? I’ll drink to that.”

“Nooo, I think we are all here for longer than this linear – shit.” Suki had been gearing up to go on a tirade about existence and physical limitations, but now there was ginger beer and pisco on her jeans.

“How many shots have you had?” Katara sighed, adding a secret shot taken while no one was in the kitchen to her mental tally for Suki.

Suki merely rolled her eyes as she set down her drink and went in search of paper towels. So, like, 2 or 3, Katara mused.

“What Suki means to say,” Aang grinned, ignoring the general chaos around him in favor of a philosophical discussion, “is that we don’t have memories of our past lives, ya know?”

“You do,” Sokka chimed from the floor. He had taken to petting the spot on the rug that was rougher than the area around it – Katara knew it was from when Sokka got too excited by a behind-the-scenes reel of the Lord of the Rings and spilled soup there, but her brother still swore up and down it had, quote, ‘alwayyys been therrre.’

Aang was nodding appreciatively. “I do. There are those moments right as you’re waking up, when you are trying to find the bridge between what your unconscious mind was dreaming about and the reality you’re currently in. That’s when I can glimpse moments of who I was. Or when Gyatso and I are meditating, and –”

“I was the goddess of a planet once.” Aaand Suki was back. Katara eyed her friend warily as she stepped gingerly over Sokka’s out-stretched legs and squeezed between Toph & the coffee table before setting down the bottle of ginger beer and the bottle of pisco she was holding. Suki caught Katara’s eyes. “What, I don’t want to have to get back up again.”

“Then you should’ve brought the paper towels,” Toph quipped.

“Shhh,” Sokka mumbled, in a rather belated attempt to insert himself into the conversation. “Suki just said she was the goddess of a planet and y’all are worried about paper towels??”

“Suki is an icon, I believe every word she says.”

“Thank you Toph!”

“You got it Suks.”

“I think you are all drunk,” Aang noted.

Katara leaned over and whispered in his ear; “Actually, Suki has said that to me sober. Granted, it was right after she got out of bed, but still, sober.”

“Says Mr. Reincarnation himself,” Toph grumbled. “I could say I was the queen of Scotland and you’d _have_ to believe me.”

This set the orderly turn-taking they had generally been preserving that evening into a frenzy. Katara slowly slid from her perch into Aang’s lap in vague despair as Aang began a tirade on whether or not aliens existed, Suki shot back something about planets that rain diamonds, which was not something Katara wanted to not think about at 10pm on a Sunday. Toph laughed at the mayhem around her before getting up to fix herself another drink – what shot was that for her? Probably 3 or 4, she was less of a lightweight than Suki although you could never ever tell drunk Suks that. And Toph was navigating their house without her cane, so either she was over here too often, she wasn’t that drunk, or a heavy helping of both. And of course, Katara’s _dear_ brother was swaying on the floor, eyes closed, singing “God save Toph” as if the national anthem of the UK was a good way to honor a _Scottish_ queen. Katara started to consider getting a drink. She snuck a sip from Aang’s cocoa as a compromise. Why, oh why, had she told Aang she would be the designated drunk-people wrangler for the evening?

The chaos was cut short by a knock on the door.

“Shit.” Sokka said, before – _had Toph gotten her brother another drink_ – taking a long swig from the mug in front of him.

“Did someone order pizza?” Suki asked hopefully.

“No.” Katara cut that line of thought off as quickly as possible. She had not ordered pizza, and also, they were on the fourth floor of an apartment building filled to the brim with doors requiring key fobs. “I thought we could order a bunch of Thai food from the place down the street and Aang or I could pick it up if you g – if we – got tired of chips.”

“Thaiii foooood.” Either Suki had snuck more than one shot or she was just riding the chaos in the room, extrovert that she was. Katara sincerely hoped for the latter.

Sokka was looking down at his phone. “Shiiit.” Katara watched with mounting trepidation as her brother peeled himself up off the floor and made his way towards the front door. Maybe he had lied about that original shot count by more than she had previously assumed… “Everybody,” Sokka said, wheeling around to face them. “Be cool.”

Sokka opened the door and Suki threw back her head laughing, and Katara could feel Aang’s gaze on her as they all took in the man at the door.

“Uhh, hey. Zuko here.”

“Sparky!” Toph began cackling like the goddamn fucking goblin she was.

“Hey Zuko,” Katara forced a smile. Aang waved and Suki poured herself more ginger beer. If all went well, they could all avoid thinking about the fact her brother had drunkenly texted Zuko, _fucking Zuko_ , before any of them, or at least had been texting him while they were all here. Toph would keep her mouth shut, Suki would avoid making any “Sokka makes a great date” quips, and Katara would refrain from _strangling Sokka_.

“You, uhhh, weren’t responding to my texts so I got someone to let me in. Little awkward in the elevator but umm, I’m here. You seem to have company now. I should, I should really go.”

“No Sparky, you gotta stay, have a drink. We were just discussing Suki’s life as a goddess and my birthright as a Scottish queen.

“You’re not white Toph.”

“Astutely observed Zuko. We were more focused on reincarnation, past lives, yada yada yada,” Suki grinned. Katara began to wish for the sweet release of death, or perhaps just a smarter brother. “Grab a seat on the couch, lemme slide down to the floor, we can talk about if you’ve been this socially awkward in _all_ your lives,” Suki continued.

Zuko’s face was getting pinker, but Sokka had taken his hand and was leading him over to the couch. Zuko sat at the very edge, looking ready to bolt the moment the opportunity arose, except Sokka was now making a home leaning against his legs, effectively blocking Zuko’s escape.

“What can I get for ya Zuko?” Suki asked brightly. “Ginger beer and pisco is already out here thanks to my ability to think ahead, we’ve got Mike’s, rum and coke, some Bailey’s if ya want that, and I happen to know where Sokka hides his bottle of tequila if you wanna go down the margarita route.”

“You’re saying ‘we’ as if you live here,” Katara grumbled.

“Myyy tequila!” Sokka squeaked.

“Oh, no, no that’s alright,” Zuko responded quickly. “I drove my uncle’s car here, and you know, I do have to get it back to him soon, I –”

“Do not even _think_ of leaving Sparky. The evening has barely begun!” Toph smiled toothily.

“It’s already past 10:30…” Zuko murmured, but Suki was already headed to the kitchen, grinning.

“Hot chocolate and Bailey’s it is. I promise to put less alcohol in yours than I did in Aang’s, since you won’t have Katara’s help.”

“I have not –” Katara started.

“Oh is that why –” Aang began, and Toph just kept laughing.

“I should fold my laundry.” The room’s attention zeroed in on Sokka.

“7 shots Sokka. You are at 7 shots at the _very_ least. You cannot fold your laundry like this.”

That was, of course, the wrong thing for Katara to say. “I’m gonna fold my laundry.” Sokka grumbled, using Zuko’s knees to leverage himself off the floor

“Those two are hopeless,” Aang observed into Katara’s ear as Zuko’s face flushed an even more alarming shade of red.

“Ya cause you guys did so much better.” Katara wished Toph did not have superhuman hearing in that moment. Zuko still looked like he was ready to run, but Suki was swirling back in, a cup of cocoa clasped in her hands.

“Here ya go, one spiked hot chocolate conducive to making it home in the morning.”

“Morning?” Zuko choked.

“Sure. You’re not getting out of here before midnight. What do _you_ think I meant?” Suki wiggled her eyebrows

“Suki…” Katara warned. Suki just laughed and Zuko covered his face by taking a long sip of his cocoa.

Sokka stumbled back in from his room, laundry basket clutched to his chest before frowning. “Zuko’s in a corner.”

“Is that so?” Toph prompted.

“Need space for laundry,” Sokka explained.

“And Zuko is a part of the boxer-folding process because…”

“Cause you guys aren’t always nice to him,” Sokka huffed, as if that was the _only_ explanation for his drunken fixation. Aang watched as Zuko took another lengthy sip of cocoa and Katara absently wondered why no one was sitting in the saucer chair next to the couch. All these gays and no one was sitting upside down yet.

They were all quiet for a moment, watching Sokka attempting to turn a shirt inside-out. Well, he was aiming for right-side out but was failing spectacularly. Katara was considering addressing Sokka’s ‘not always nice to him’ comment before Zuko cleared his throat. “I don’t know about reincarnation. But I think there are parallel universes.”

Suki raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“S… sometimes I dream, I have these dreams about things that have happened, or, or, they will happen. Like, my déjà vu is real cause I have, unequivocally gone there before or done that thing before. I… I was working at the Jasmine Dragon, first day, and I was taking this guy’s order, he had this shock of red hair, and he ordered baozhong –”

“Baozhong.” Sokka snorted.

“I know, baozhong, and I knew, I just _knew_ I had done this before, and I would do it again.”

“Huh.” Toph said.

“I know.” Zuko was gaining speed, and Katara wished he made it easier to hold a grudge. She stole another sip of Aang’s drink. “And then, and then,” Zuko’s cheeks were flushing again, and he was waving his arms. “The first time I met Sokka I remembered this dream, where I had uhh met him, well I _knew_ him. Like I have these dreams and then the event happens and I know my timeline is just a little offset from some of my other timelines. So… ya.” He finished lamely.

“You already knew me??” Sokka said, a little loudly for Katara’s taste. He had a sock on each hand and was yet again failing to grasp the concept of turning laundry right-side out.

“Well, no and yes…” Zuko began.

“Did you know me?” Toph interrupted.

“I…” Zuko tried.

“Does the universe split every time you make a decision?” Aang interrupted. Okay, so maybe it was time to start monitoring Aang’s intake as well.

Zuko paused, as if allowing for someone to interrupt. Sokka obliged. “That’s ridiculous Aang. I know we all like to think the butterfly affect has some credence, but there are some things that are just _too small_ – like the color fucking shirt a person wears in the morning – and there are some things people are always _bound to do_. Like, I’m sure Zuko is still Zuko in those alternate universes.”

“Exactly,” Zuko said, taking the conversation back. “I think the things I dream about are inevitable, those are the most powerful, most inevitable decisions. There are a finite number of infinite universes.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Toph interjected.

“Yes, yes it does,” Sokka replied, without choosing to elaborate.

“I… I always end up living at my uncle’s, it is inevitable because of who… who he is and who I am, and… and the way my father is.”

“So does that mean you always meet Sokka?” Suki prodded.

“I, well, ya,” Zuko blushed.

“Awhhh, Zuko and I are inevitable!” Sokka chirped, and Katara decided it was time for a change of topic.

“So Suki –”

“Hold up, I still wanna hear the reasoning behind finite infinities,” Toph cut her off.

“I think Zuko and Sokka’s human brains just can’t comprehend infinite infinities.” Suki stated blandly.

“Are you suggesting you’re not human??” Sokka asked indignantly, putting aside a shirt which was definitely not folded on the growing pile of sort-of folded laundry to his right.

“Moderately so. We’re all… ughhh I can’t explain this tipsy.”

“Drunk.” Katara corrected.

“Whatever.” Suki replied, sticking her tongue out.

“What I think Suki is _trying_ to say –” Aang said “– is what she was trying to get at earlier before the ginger beer spillage. We are beings outside of time forced into the physical realm where we experience ‘time’, and we experience it in a ‘linear’ way. Our definitions of ourselves are automatically restricted by…” he waved his hand at the general tableau, “who we are within a construct.”

Katara got up off Aang’s lap. “I am getting a Mike’s. You are now in charge of the circus Aang.”

“Not my circus not my monkeys,” Sokka chimed in. He had begun stacking dish towels on his head.

“Aang has made a valiant effort to place us all on even footing, but the truth is Toph and I’ve been here longer than all of you bitches,” Suki toasted Toph.

“Damn right,” Toph sipped at her drink, and Katara wondered why she had asked everyone to come over when she found her brother drunk on the floor refusing to talk to her. Because sometimes he was a black hole you couldn’t help getting sucked into. “I’ve been here waaay too long,” Toph finished,

“What is that supposed to mean?” Zuko asked.

“I’ve been on this bitch of an earth before and I will be here again,” Suki raised the bottle of pisco.

“Do not drink straight out of that!” Katara called out from the kitchen.

“Why not?” Suki pouted.

“Cooties,” Sokka supplied.

“You didn’t mind cooties when we…”

“Alright, alright kids,” Aang interrupted. “We all agree humanity is constrained by the physical realm, Suki and Toph are the most powerful among us, and Suki is gonna pour her pisco into her glass or Katara will take it from her.”

“Spoilsport,” Suki grumbled, but complied.

“I think everybody has had about enough,” Katara said, even as she slid back onto Aang’s lap with a newly opened Mike’s.

Sokka snorted from on top of his pile of ‘folded’ laundry. “Isn’t enough until I’ve forgotten each and every goddamn life I’ve lived.”

“Oh dear,” Aang voiced Katara’s concern.

Katara cleared her throat. “So, uhh, how do you know about these past lives? Is it a feeling or a memory?”

“What’s the differennnce?” Sokka groaned.

Katara stared at him, brows knitting together. “You’re kidding, right? Remembering a planet raining diamonds is different than _feeling_ like you’ve been the goddess of a diamond-raining planet.”

“But if you remember it, you feel it!” Sokka grinned, as if he had just solved the theorem for lightspeed travel.

Katara opened her mouth to respond, but Aang shook his head. “He’s too drunk for this conversation, and you are too sober.”

“Not drunk enough.” Sokka chimed. “Someone should put my laundry away.” A chorus of no’s chimed out even as Katara’s brother picked his way over to the couch, squeezing himself between Aang and Zuko as if their couch wasn’t really a loveseat and four people could fit _comfortably_ on it. Then again, Zuko was slinging an arm over the back of the couch and Sokka was leaning against him, so maybe there was a tiny bit of method to the bane of her existence’s madness. The general conversation fractured into little side ones, Aang explaining to Katara the new harnesses they had gotten at his sky-diving job, Suki and Toph shuffling cards in a vague attempt to play War, and Sokka slowly creeping further and further onto Zuko’s lap.

“Thanks for coming,” Sokka murmured.

“Ya,” Zuko smiled. “Anything for inevitability.”

Sokka snorted. “Sure thing jerk.”

Zuko smiled softly. “So, do you wanna talk about it? The reason I got drunk texts from you saying you were all alone and Katara wasn’t home yet, and why she summoned all your friends to keep an eye on you?”

“They are _not_ here to keep an eye on me, they are here to _hang out_.” Zuko just flashed a smile at that, remaining silent to give Sokka the space to keep talking. “It’s just… I just… Every morning I wake up and I go intern with Piandao and I go to classes and I do my homework and I go to bed and I do it all over again, each and every day. And I’m starting, sometimes I wonder, I wonder what the point is.”

Sokka was staring up at Zuko with those soft brown eyes of his, and Zuko ignored the light fog in his head that had less than helpful suggestions when it came to the point of life. “Does there have to be a point?” Zuko asked.

Sokka spluttered. “Yes! Of course there has to be a _point_ life has to have meaning otherwise… otherwise why are we here?” he whined plaintively.

Zuko hummed. “I don’t mean it like that. I mean you can find reasons for each and every one of your individual actions, you can believe in a life after death, or before life I suppose. You can construct as many meanings as you want and it still doesn’t change the fact you have to live each and every day as it comes. Having a goal, a plan for yourself is a good thing. But even more important is acceptance. That’s the key to meditation, accepting your surroundings and your own existence. And I know, I know,” Zuko continued before Sokka’s waving arms could spout mouths filled with heated arguments. “I know you can’t accept each and everything in life. But…” Zuko faltered. “Maybe there isn’t some ‘cosmic point.’ Maybe the point is to just get as much as you can out of the physical limitations and linear prison you’re in.”

“You are spouting nonsense.”

Zuko shrugged. “You still listened. And I am sorry you’re having a rough time with the ‘everything’ that is life. And I hope you’ll just call me next time instead of polishing off a bottle of tequila –” Sokka shushed him “– because alcohol is really not the answer, especially not when you’re alone.” Zuko continued unperturbed. “I think you were chasing the feeling of this,” he gestured at the friendly tableau before them. “Not whatever you thought was at the bottom of the bottle.”

“I don’t deserve your friendship.”

“I doubt that. But you will always have it regardless.”

The rest of the night passed as quickly as it passed slowly, the laws of time fluctuating around the small apartment where a candle was flickering and laughter was sounding and cards were being dealt. Sokka wasn’t sure whether or not this was what he had in mind when he got home from class and made that oh-so-awful decision he would likely regret in the morning. And he knew, deep down Zuko was right, and maybe they should store less hard liquor in the apartment. No matter how much of it he remembered in the morning, he would remember the point of the evening. That perhaps, he didn’t need it to have a point at all.

**Author's Note:**

> AND THAT’S THE FIC. It could’ve gone a lot of other places, but this is where we’ve ended up. Drunk people are insatiable. HMU for what you think lies beyond the realm of this existence, 10/10 totally didn’t have one of my déjà vu moments writing this fic like ahh, yes, drunk Gaang fic, this has happened before. Literally went to check my documents folder jic. Welcome to The Multiverse Babes.


End file.
